


Ghosts of Birthdays Past, Present and Future

by Hdham55



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 3 ghosts, Scrooge - Freeform, ghosts of birthdays past, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 09:08:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2462636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hdham55/pseuds/Hdham55
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver is sleeping when he suddenly awakens and is visited by three ghosts who take him to a birthday from his past, his birthday in the present and a birthday in the future. The experience changes him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosts of Birthdays Past, Present and Future

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, this happened. this isnt my idea, someone somewhere probably thought of this too but it hit me out of nowhere and it took an hour to write. hope you enjoy!!
> 
> sorry for any mistakes :)

When Oliver woke up from the nightmare he had, he was covered in sweat and breathing heavy. The terrors of what he saw in his nightmare wasn’t what spooked him though. No, it was the fact that he saw his mom, who was dead, standing by the foot of his bed. Oliver closed his eyes and re-opened them. She was still standing there. 

“You can’t be here.” Oliver said. 

“I was sent here for a reason. You’re not living your life to the fullest, my baby boy. You need to see this.”

“See what?”

“Follow me.” She said and he did.

They walked further into the foundry, which slowly started turning into the home he grew up in. Thea was there, along with his mother, his father, Tommy, Laurel and himself. He knew what day it was, it was his eighteenth birthday. He was having the real party later, this was just for his family. He looked happy. 

“I got you this Ollie!” eight year old Thea bounced in her seat. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything speedy.” He said opening the framed picture of the two of them. 

He smiled and hugged his little sister. More presents were given to him and the smile never left his face. This was a good day for him, he remembers this day perfectly. 

 

He looked over at his mom, and she looked like she was going to cry. She had always enjoyed days they were always together. 

“Why are you showing me this?”

“You were happy here. You’re so caught up in whatever it is you’re doing, you forgot that today is your birthday.”

“There’s more pressing matters than celebrating my life.”

“One day, you will regret not celebrating them. You are a person that needs to be celebrated.”

“Then so be it. The city needs me, I can’t be Oliver Queen and the Arrow. There’s only room for one.”

“You can have both. You’ll see. I love you.”

“Wait mom! Don’t go! I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to be the one who died. It should’ve been me.” He yelled.

But he was back in the foundry and his mother was nowhere in sight. He closed his eyes again. This had to be a dream. There is no way she could’ve been there. There is no way she could’ve shown him that. How was it even possible? He glanced at that clock and saw it was a little pass midnight. He got back in bed and closed his eyes. This crazy dream will be over in no time. 

When he heard noises, his eyes snapped open and he got into attack mode. Looking around, he saw Sara doing the salmon ladder. That couldn’t be possible, he had just buried her. How is she here?

“I haven’t been gone that long.” She smiled at him.

“How are you here?”

“You’re mom visited you first right? Ollie we’re the ghosts of your birthdays. Your mom was the past and I’m the present. Happy birthday by the way.”

“Who killed you?”

“That’s not important right now. What’s important is how you treated everyone today. You were a total jerk.”

“Well sorry for not being in a party mood. Like I told my mother, there are more important things at hand.”

“Let’s take a look shall we?” she said.

Oliver winced. He knew he was a jerk today. Then everything got blurry, except for Sara, as they moved back in time to earlier that day. He knew she was going to bring him back to this specific time. He’s already came up with an apology that he was planning on giving tomorrow. 

 

He watch as Felicity excitedly decorated the foundry. She was the only one there, as baby Sara had a doctor’s appointment and she didn’t know where Roy was. She was putting up streamers and had a party hat on. She wanted to celebrate this day with him because he means a lot to her. He knows that. 

She had a huge smile on when he descended the stairs to the foundry. He looked around before finally looking at her. He glared at her. 

“Happy birthday Oliver!” she yelled. 

“There’s nothing to celebrate,” he spat. “Take it all down and let’s get serious. Or would you rather sing happy birthday and throw confetti. What we do is important, we don’t have time for this stuff. I shouldn’t have to tell you this.”

“But I just thought-”

“Well you thought wrong.” His voice was cold.

He couldn’t look at her then because he knew she would be hurt. Looking at her now, however, he was wrong. She wasn’t hurt, she was devastated. She had unshed tears in her eyes as she tore down all the streamers. 

 

“Felicity, I’m sorry.” He tried saying but she wouldn’t look at him. “Felicity? Felicity!” he yelled.

“She can’t hear you. You really hurt her feelings. You keep doing that by the way. When are you going to realize that she knows she can do better than you? But she doesn’t want that. You know what she wants.”

“And if I give her what she wants, my game will be off and mistakes will be made.”

“Are you saying that because it’s true or because you’re scared?”

“Who killed you? Help me find your murderer.”

“I think you already know who did it, but I gotta go. See ya on the other side!”

“Sara wait!” 

But she was already gone, and he was back in the original foundry. What was going on tonight? He isn’t Scrooge, and he already had ghosts visit him. Shado, Slade, and Tommy all visited him on Christmas. Why are new ones here? What are they trying to tell him this time?

He sat up and waited for the third ghost to come. He expected his father, since he’s the only one who hasn’t visited him yet. It would be nice to see his father again. There was so much Oliver had to tell him, starting with an apology. Oliver wanted to apologize to his dad for not being able to right his wrongs in his first year back from the island. 

But when Tommy reappeared, he was shocked. Tommy had already visited him. What else did he have to say to him? 

“Tommy.”

“Hello Oliver. Long time no see. I see you became the hero of this city. I’m glad.”

“It was your death that drove me to it.”

“My death ended your killing streak. We all know there is one person to blame for this. And her name starts with Felicity.”

“How have you been?”

“Better than you apparently. Let’s travel forward shall we?” Tommy flashed his toothy grin.

 

Next thing he knew, he was in a large house. It was obvious it belonged to someone with money because of the size, but according to the decorations, he knew who it belonged to. Tommy led him into a kitchen where Felicity stood, decorating a cake. She was obviously expecting a child and she glowed with beauty even with a swollen belly and all. For once in his life Oliver felt happy, that was until Ray Palmer came into the kitchen and kissed Felicity.

“Have a good day?”

“Yes. Things are going well at Palmers Corporate. Though, I do miss a certain IT specialist. I’d wish you’d come work for me.”

“No. I had to deals with rumors about sleeping with one boss a long time ago. I don’t want it to happen again because this time it’ll be harder to deny. Besides, I love Queens Consolidated. Oliver needs me.”

“Which reminds me, why are we doing this again?”

“Because, I’m all Oliver has left. He may be broody and miserable and moody, but he’s still my best friend. And I know all the reasons behind his moods. I had to force John and Roy here. But he needs this, he needs to know someone cares about him, even if it's only me.”

“Fine. You are a remarkable woman Felicity Palmer.”

“I love the sound of that.”

There was a knock on the door and Felicity rushed to answer it. Without a smile or even a ‘hello’ Oliver walked in the house with John and Roy in tow. John had Sara, now four, with him. Both Roy and John stopped to hug her but Oliver kept walking. She stopped him while both Diggle and Roy made their way to the kitchen.

“Hey, happy birthday.”

“Thank you. How’s maternity leave going? I didn’t send you on it too late, did I?”

“I can assure you that, from both jobs, you’ve sent me earlier than necessary.”

“They’re both stressful jobs, I didn’t want anything to happen.”

“I know that.”

“Felicity.”

“Yes?”

“I know I’m years too late and telling you this is probably another thing I’ll regret, but I have to tell you this. Not a day goes by where I don’t regret the moment I shut you out. I wish I could go back in time and change it all so that I never said what I said at the hospital.”

“Oliver-”

“You don’t have to say anything. Like I said, I know I’m too late. You and Palmer are happy. I just want you to know that the reason I’m so cold to him and sometimes to you is because he’s living the life I want, or wanted.” He said and Oliver watched his future self walk away from the woman he loves. 

 

Tommy brought him back to the foundry. Oliver looked at Tommy for a long time before speaking,

“So you ghost are telling me that I’m going to die miserable.” 

“And probably alone, and probably down here.”

“I would’ve saved the city though. I know what I’m doing. There’s no way Arrow and Oliver Queen can be in the world. I can’t have both.”

“What we were really trying to tell you is that you can. You can have both. Felicity loves you just as much as you love her and you guys will make it work. You just have to stop being so stubborn and realize that she could get hit by a bus tomorrow and you wouldn’t have been able to stop that as Arrow or as Oliver Queen. She’s in danger whether you’re in a relationship with her or not. Stop having miserable birthdays and start appreciating the fact that someone cares about you.” 

And just like that Tommy was gone. Looking at the clock, it was two in the morning. Felicity is probably asleep and is going to yell at him, but he hopped on his bike and sped over there. Frantically, he knocked on the door. He listened as he heard her rushed bare footsteps to the door. When she opened it, he knew he made the right decision. She had bunnies on her pajama pants, a plane white tank top on and her hair was all messed up, but she was beautiful. 

“Oliver what’s wrong?” she asked. 

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he pulled her in and kissed her like his life depended on it. She was shocked at first, but she responded almost immediately. When he pulled away, she was slightly out of breath.

“I’m sorry for being an ass earlier and I’m happy that you care enough about me to want to celebrate my birthday.”

“I forgive you as long as you kiss me again.”


End file.
